Monday, March 4, 2013

7-mile run and pull-up/HSPU strength training

I had a good last week and weekend of workouts. I was going to do my 7-mile for my Indy 500 Mini Marathon training plan on Saturday, but the weather was gloomy/snowy and the forecast looked better on Sunday. So I decided to go to a seminar (different from the daily classes) at River North CrossFit aimed at gaining strength for pull-ups and handstand push-ups (HSPUs). Now, I can do unassisted kipping pull-ups but I'm using much more of the kip than my arm/shoulder strength to get over the bar, so I was interested in attending this seminar. It turned out to be much more of a workout than I thought, but not heavy on legs so I was still able to run on Sunday. In the seminar, Coach Ryan went through different strength-building movements that would gradually make us stronger and able to more effectively do pull-ups and HSPUs (and eventually muscle-ups).

These movements should be scaled so that you can do at least 10 at a time (I used a green band for the strict pull-ups and chin-ups). You should also rest 30 sec to a minute between each set. Doing these movements around 3 times a week will build the necessary strength to do pull-ups and HSPUs.

The weather was a little nicer on Sunday at 30F and sunny. The snow was melting so the sidewalks weren't too bad. Ryan came with me on this run and I'm glad he did because I wasn't feeling too motivated. We ran at an easy 9 minute/mile pace. I know I'll be able to run faster once the weather is better because I just get so congested in the cold. Plus, it takes forever to warm up. Regardless, it was a good run and I am on track with my training plan! We did a big triangle by running out to the United Center, then north on Damen through Wicker Park and back down Milwaukee to River North. By the way, this was my third time logging a run with Nike+ iPod and it's finally calibrated to be correct!